Freedom of speech is a right. It also comes with something seldom mentioned. As with all rights they are based on the responsibilities that create them. If you have an opinion on a subject the responsibility of the person giving it includes putting forth or at least acknowledging the arguments against it. Hiding factors does not create truth, it creates a lie. Anything based on lies will eventually disintegrate after causing hard to repair damage. It seems we are, among a great percentage of people, not knowing what truth or fact is. The lack of this understanding is the cause of most of the strife today.
Our wealth allows us to feel we need no one else for us to survive. The easiness of our lives relieves us of the necessity to scrabble for our survival. We are so removed from the necessity for each individual to work with each other that we dismiss our dependence.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Hello. I believe that speech is like any other action; it comes with responsibilities, yet many people seem to think that free speech means that they can say anything they like, including spreading baseless speculations, twisting facts, insulting others using vile language, etc., which happens a lot on social media, in which case they are not interested in seeking truth or fact.
I also realise that politics, among other subjects, is something people can afford to talk about if they are reasonably well-off.
Naomi
Level 8
Jan 27, 2021
0
Politics in its original meaning was the art of convincing others of the merits of your point of view. Any one rich or poor can engage in politics. Today it is condemnation, threats and bullying to force the opposition to accept your view weather you agree or not.
While free speech is a right, silence is also an established right, isn't it?
I asked others some time ago how Biden's administration would affect their daily lives. Someone said that he was concerned about having tax imposed on his small savings (for whatever reason), which is a realistic concern. Another person said that he had no concerns because he is retired and is on a rather good pension. The latter is active talking about politics all the time like an armchair general, knowing that nothing bad is gonna happen to his lifestyle. Hence my opinion that politics is something for well-off people to enjoy talking about.
Another thing I would mention is that some years ago in the UK, there was a call for boycotting retailers that overlook child labour, typically in India. I have a few Indian friends and they told me that child labour is bad by the Western standards, but it is often necessary in India. If a family is so poor that they can't send their children to school, it only makes sense that they help their parents earn money by doing simple tasks to start with, fetching water, carrying bricks, collecting wood, etc, and once they are old enough, they may go to a town factory to earn more money for their family. Of course, such an situation is not acceptable, but they just cannot afford to talk about political ideology or ethical ideals like we can in civilised countries.
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